January 22, 2025

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira (Upper House) together with some other JCP Dietmembers on January 21 held talks with executive officers of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) at the House of Representatives Members’ office building.

They exchanged views on the struggle to block the move to adversely revise the Labor Standards Act, win a drastic increase in wages and a nationwide minimum wage hike to 1,500 yen, and realize shorter working hours and gender equality.

Zenroren President Akiyama Masaomi appealed for the need to achieve a shorter work week for all workers with the declining fertility rate and size of population. He pointed out that to enable workers to balance their work life and caregiving through shortened working hours will contribute to solving the labor shortage issue in all workplaces. He said that care service providers, in particular, are experiencing a serious staff shortage, adding that a shorter work week together with a drastic wage hike will lead to an increase in the number of workers and ensure safe medical treatment and nursing care.

Akiyama expressed his hope that the Diet will discuss proposals to increase the number of workers at local offices of government ministries and local municipalities as measures to enhance post-disaster efforts.

Stating that as the result of the last general election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party became a minority in the House of Representatives, JCP Koike expressed his determination to help foster a movement that will meet the demands of the people and workers, such as a minimum hourly wage rise to 1,500 yen across the nation, and change government policies with the movement. He also said that the JCP will conduct Diet discussions aimed at correcting political distortions which give first priority to business interests and are overly submissive to the U.S., and will realize a new development of joint struggles of opposition parties and concerned citizens.